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In July we will be bringing 6 thrilling new plays to the ADC Theatre venues as part of our WRiTEON Stage Festival. These are just some of the 60 submissions that we received last year. In fact we were so impressed with the other six plays that made the shortlist that we decided that we just had to share them with you! So we will be showcasing these in the form of script-in-hand staged readings at the Larkum Studio on the 10th,11th & 12th April. Each evening will feature a double-bill and costs a mere £3. That’s £3 for two hours of brand new theatre! Click the links below to find out more:

Canopy by Rachel Carnes

Canopy explores the sheltering space that people foster over time, as their mutual annoyance creates a kind of protection. When do the things that drive me crazy about you, become the things I would miss most? What if we were so busy caring for our family, we forgot to care for ourselves? What if we live long enough to discover that life’s promises are still ours to fulfill? What if we’re afraid? Where does love go — When we’re separated? And what remains? Canopy is about love — In whatever form that takes — And the patience love requires.

The Way it Is by Donna Hoke

After eight years, Cane dumps his fiancee Yasmine because he thinks he’s found “the one.” But when he heads back to their apartment to collect his things, Yasmine’s not about to let him go without getting what she wants–starting with an explanation about why he wasted her time for so long, and ending with something Cane never expected. In real time, Cane and Yasmine fight for the lives they think they deserve in a taut two-hander about inertia, truth… and consequences.

Headhog by Tom Jensen

Life is fairly humdrum for Malcolm, until a rather prickly problem raises its head and turns his world upside down. He is forced to take drastic action that results in a truly mind-blowing experience.

Member by Hugo Chiarella

‘Member’ takes place entirely in the bedroom of a couple, Jo and Steve. Jo is a PR manager for a ride sharing startup. Steve is tepidly volunteering for a fledgling foundation that wants to transform the democratic process. Jo wants to work and prosper within the system, Steve has lost faith in the system.

The play is a philosophical and political exploration about the tension between idealism and action. In a time when the world is increasingly divided by totalizing ideological positions, ‘Member; examines the ways in which these positions affect our interactions on an intimate and interpersonal level as well as a societal and global level.

A Mandarin Remembers by David Hutchison

Sir Andrew Drummond is a former civil servant who has had a distinguished career first in the Foreign Office and then elsewhere in government and public life. He is visited by a researcher who is employed by an up-market version of ‘Desert Island Discs’. She is ostensibly there to check on his choices for the programme but she is not all that she seems, and Sir Andrew finds himself having to confront the human consequences of policies for which he had a major responsibility.

With British troops still fighting – and dying – in the Middle East and Afghanistan, this play explores how politicians and civil servants reach decisions which can have fateful, and sometimes catastrophic, consequences.

The Contract by Trish Rawson

Two young people rescued from homelessness by a kindly, older and childless woman seems to be the perfect ending to cold nights sleeping rough in a doorway. But Cynthia, their landlady, proves to be a challenge to live with. Who keeps knocking on the door? And why won’t she answer it? Insistent on changing the ‘contract’ which she thinks binds them together, Joe and Deborah find their lives much more of a challenge than they could possibly have envisaged. But living with Cynthia has affected their mental health. Will they manage to escape and if so, how?

Richard Peoples (who is a WRiTEON committee member, prolific writer, workshop leader and project lead) is having a short play of his entitled “Up to the Mark” staged at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Soho, London from 17 to 21 July. It’s one of a set of short pieces under the title ‘Invisible Light’. More info can be found here:

Producers

Calling all Producers!

Always fancied producing an evening of new writing but nervous to try it out?

We are looking for people who have not produced before to take the helm for a night. You would be assigned a mentor who would show you the ropes and be there to support you throughout the process. You would also work with the artistic directors, directors, techs and other members of the team to ensure your night is produced beautifully.

To register your interest and for more information, please use the link below to access our quick google form and submit your details!

DIRECTING

Calling all directors!

As we mentioned yesterday, First Stage is experimenting with a slightly new format this year and we are looking for directors to take on 2 or more plays in the same evening. You would be working with a core company of actors common to both pieces. We hope this will enable our directors to form a closer relationship with their actors, to experiment with a range of material and get the best out of the new writing.

To register your interest and for more information, please use the link below to access our quick google form and submit your details!

ACTING

Would you like to act in First Stage 2017?

This season we are experimenting with something a little new for the cast of First Stage. We will have a smaller core company of actors who will each appear in 2 or more plays throughout the season. We hope this will enable our actors to form a closer relationship with their directors, to play a range of characters and get the best out of the new writing. Performances will still be script in hand.

To register your interest and for more information, please use the link below to access our quick google form and submit your details! We will be holding a casting session on Sunday 1st October – if you can’t attend but wish to be considered, please indicate this in your form.

Casting will take place on Sunday 1st October, 3-5pm at Milton Road Library.

TWO WEEKS TO GO!

Just a quick reminder that there’s just two weeks to get your submissions in for this Winter’s First Stage season.
Submission deadline Sunday 17th September
Scripts can be for between 1 and 6 actors, be as short as you like and up to 30 minutes.
Go on, write a little something, you know you want to!